Washington scores poorly on gun control

After a 40-year-old Seattle man shot six people Wednesday for unknown reasons, some in the area are questioning what can be done to stem a recent uptick in gun violence.

The individual is suspected of shooting five at a local restaurant and a sixth when he carjacked her shortly afterward. Five of his victims were mortally wounded. The suspect later turned the gun on himself. The shooter’s brother told The Seattle Times that he was not surprised by the occurrence and that his brother was mentally ill.

Less than halfway through 2012, Seattle has already matched the total number of homicides it had throughout 2011: 21.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said during a news conference that “we also need to focus on laws that make it too easy for people to acquire guns.”

5. My state doesn't score poorly enough either.

4. Probably the best thing they could do is nothing

I don't think they are establishing a trend here, it's just a blip on the radar screen. These types of crimes are impossible to stop anyway unless someone has prior knowledge and reports it to the cops.

6. There is... ...another... ...Washington

7. I notice that of the three Brady examples they came up with --

"...mandatory theft reporting of all firearms, a limit of one handgun purchase per month, and background checks on all firearms (including gun shows)" -- not one would have been relevant to the crime they're using as an example of why stricter firearms regulation is needed.

11. You realize that the Brady score card ignores federal law?

Didn't think so. At least five of the important ones like dealers keeping records, ban on felon possession, allow law enforcement inspections of those records, have been federal law since 1938. A couple others have been added since then. Not that the IRS did a great job of inspecting those records until ATF was created, but that is a different conversation. The problem was that gun law enforcement section was where the IRS sent their dead weight, control freaks, and dim wits to be out of the way. When ATF was formed, that was the initial cadre and management of ATF. It is now their corporate culture even after leaving Treasury. They like to claim that their heritage goes back to the Prohibition Bureau. Since Elliot Ness and Al Copone's brother were among the few that were not on the take, not something I would be proud of.